Feb

21

2018

Before we drive our cars, we take numerous precautions to ensure a safe trip. Wearing seatbelts, adjusting mirrors, making sure our tires are properly inflated, and that our brakes are in working condition help to protect passengers in our vehicles. There’s one more thing passengers can do to help protect themselves in the event of a car accident: properly adjusting their headrests.

When a vehicle is in an accident, passengers can experience a common injury known as whiplash.[1] Whiplash occurs when a person’s neck snaps back and forth like a cracking of a whip, causing neck pain, stiffness, and headaches.[2] The National…

Feb

14

2018

Technological improvements and the dropping prices of electric vehicles have helped to usher hundreds of thousands of new models into the hands of consumers over the past two years. All-electric cars now available from Tesla, Chevrolet, Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMW have also helped to broaden drivers’ options with varied body styles, performance specs, and price points.

The shift in the market of electric cars and their resulting increase in competition with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles have triggered criticism from both auto manufacturers and insurance companies about how well these new advances perform in collisions.

Feb

05

2018

With Spring Break just around the corner and summer vacations not far behind, Americans are preparing to spend more hours on the highway and travel more miles than any other time of the year. These road trips are a time for fun and celebration, but these good times require drivers to exercise care and vigilance to prevent things from turning tragic.

For automobile drivers and passengers, a collision with a truck—especially a loaded tractor trailer—can have serious consequences. After the fact, it may not make much difference to the injured or dead which driver caused the accident, but studies by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration…

Jan

12

2018

Many people who are injured in auto accidents fail to realize the importance of their relationship with their medical providers. As in any relationship, poor communication can create problems. I stress to my clients the need to be a "good patient", and it is advice that any injured person could benefit from.

Being a good patient requires three things:

You must keep your medical appointments. Be on time so you don't waste the doctor or other health care providers' time, and so you are not rushed or distracted when you see the doctor. You want the doctor to be fully focused on your health problems, and not irritated that you arrived late…

Aug

16

2017

Vehicles are becoming more sophisticated every year as automakers introduce more equipment aimed at creating a safer driving experience. Recently, crash prevention systems have been introduced to reduce rear-end collisions, and for good reason - the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that over 40% of the car accidents on U.S. roads (2.5 million) are rear-enders. In some vehicles, the technology is so advanced that they can brake automatically to avoid objects. In the future, these automated systems may become standard equipment. Until that day, drivers must take affirmative steps to avoid these…

Jul

07

2017

While many people find big rigs scary enough, the trucking industry would like them even bigger. The trucking industry is once again requesting legislation that would allow larger trucks with heavier loads to be allowed on the highways. The current weight load is 80,000 pounds and they would like an increase bringing that weight up to 91,000 pounds.

Shockingly, 3,852 people died in large truck crashes in 2015. Only sixteen percent of these deaths were truck occupants. Sixty-nine percent were occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles hit by the trucks, and fifteen percent were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.…

Mar

24

2017

The term “dooring” may not be familiar to all drivers, but bicyclists know what it means and the dangers that come with it. Since July 1, 2016, all Virginia drivers need to know it, too. “Dooring” occurs when a driver opens a car door into a lane of moving traffic and a bicyclist runs into the door. Getting “doored” is a common cause of crashes between bikes and cars, and it can result in serious injuries to bicyclists.[1]

Virginia, along with Washington, D.C. and forty other states, have “dooring” laws. The law states that the driver of a vehicle is responsible to look out for others, particularly bikers, before opening…

Feb

21

2017

Every year, passengers, other drivers and pedestrians are killed or seriously injured by bus accidents. Due to their large size - sometimes 45 feet long and 17,000 pounds - buses are more difficult to control than the average vehicle. Buses require more time and distance to turn or stop, and they can have very large blind spots. This means that buses have increased opportunities for accidents compared to smaller vehicles.

If you have been injured in a bus accident - either as a passenger, pedestrian, or while driving another vehicle - you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. However, bus accident…

Oct

20

2016

New clothes, school supply lists and heavy backpacks are all signs that the school year is underway. Yellow school buses are now part of many driver's morning commute. School Bus Safety week, held each year in October[1], helps encourage safety for everyone involved.

Getting On and Off a School Bus Safely

Getting on and off school buses is likely the riskiest part of riding a school bus.[2] Often, children have to cross a street to get to the bus stop, which raises the risk of traffic accidents.[3] Other times, children may not wait until the school bus comes to a complete stop before approaching the bus.[4] Make sure children…

Jun

10

2016

Yes, you can. Drivers who have the right of way will often wave to other cars, indicating that they may proceed before them. There are circumstances in which a wave of this manner can subject a driver to tort liability - when a person unfairly causes someone else to suffer loss or harm.

The Virginia Supreme Court has adopted a principle from the Nolde Brothers v. Wray trial in 1980. In Nolde Brothers v. Wray, the Court stated: If a driver’s waving signal was or could be interpreted to another driver as a signal to proceed across lanes of incoming traffic then the driver who waves has to be certain the other driver can cross…